| Only three weeks remain until polls open in the city of Houston for voters to choose a man or woman to succeed Bill White as mayor of one of this country's largest cities. Yet, of the voters who even realize Bill White will soon vacate the office, many surely remain undecided still. Sure, many activists are aligned somewhere due to various loyalties, but the general voters have been given little differentiation to work with in order to make a good decision.
It's no wonder, too. Of all the candidates, only three are active with a strong pulse. Annise Parker, Gene Locke, and Peter Brown are all also Democrats whose policies compare closely. If you are an absolute stickler for Democratic credentials, you might back Annise Parker, but all three are just as Democratic as their predecessor. If you particularly care about a certain policy area, you might support someone else.
Really, voters need every available method to distinguish the candidates. So, I thought I would discuss a method I once used to decide between candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Each candidate, while similar on policy, probably will be significantly different in their potential styles of governing.
For the task of painting a picture of these candidates' styles, I will look at two different sources. First, I will review basic biographical information for each of the candidates. Then, I will also look at the great Insider's Looks into the Campaigns from Mayoral Musings with Nancy Sims.
Annise Parker:
With Annise Parker, I first noticed that she really cares about Houston government. She ran for City Council twice unsuccesfully before finally winning a seat in 1997, and the current City Controller has served in elected Houston office ever since. She is the only candidate for Mayor who can say she has served constituents in Houston government for more than a decade. Although that might be the most important piece of biographical info, the most known might be that the candidate is openly lesbian. Her activeness in the LGBT community might not show us much regarding how she leads, except she probably ran into a few problems along the way that might translate into toughness. Finally, Parker worked in the oil & gas energy for two decades -- at the very least, she has knowledge of the industry, which could prove helpful in any clean energy initiatives she could attempt as Mayor. She also has a powerful public record of fiscal responsibility, which is probably buffered by that business experience.
And from her journey to get elected to the city's highest office? Nancy Sims gives these thoughts:
So, what does this team and organization tell us about how Parker might manage the city? Volumes. I predict that she will seek expertise where she needs it. She will be loyal and true to the voters that elect her and will likely stand by her promises. She will be a leader and inspire those who work for her to perform to the best of their abilities. She is willing to trust others to accomplish their jobs without telling them what to do every step of the way. If Parker's campaign team is a reflection of her leadership style, Houston will be run as a finely-tuned machine.
Annise Parker's supporters can be confident that city government would be an efficient cog under a Parker administration. She was successful in business, and her campaign is being run like one. So would the city of Houston. I am confident Houston's economy would likely thrive under Parker, but my only concern is how many risks she would take with the city. Will Annise Parker bring the city into another level of prestige, or will she only keep it chugging along at the same level that Bill White has brought it to?
Gene Locke:
Gene Locke's life is also one of challenges. He worked through law school as a steelworker, but after his JD, his rise became quick. He went to Washington, D.C. to work as chief of staff for Congressman Mickey Leland. In 1995 Bob Lanier appointed him as City Attorney. Under the Lanier Administration, Locke led the negotiations for Minute Maid Park, Reliant Park, and the Toyota Center, the three prominent sports arenas for the city's three prominent professional sport teams. He currently practices law with Andrews Kurth LLP, but he has served as Special Counsel to Houston METRO and the Port of Houston Authority. Locke, though, has heard a fair share of criticism for the way he has conducted a lawyerly proceedings.
While a law career tells little about one's management style, a campaign can, and Nancy concludes this about his campaign:
What does this team tell me about how Gene Locke will govern? Lots! He will look for the best and brightest. I can envision Locke picking staff and department leaders that have experience, commitment and heart. He is a listener and will trust the experts to do their jobs well. His staff and department heads will trust him and believe in him. He will set clearly-defined goals for his team and for the city. He and his staff will all be working from the same page to keep Houston running. Based on early campaign changes, I would say Locke is willing to make hard decisions, even when it may not be popular to do so, if it is in the best interest of the city. If Locke's campaign is a reflection of the way he will govern, we can count on smart, dedicated leadership that keeps Houstonians top of mind.
Gene Locke could be a mayor that will get things done by negotiation with different agencies. He has connection with many of them, and he has succeeded with them before. Also, if he sees an opportunity to bring an important event, I suspect he might take it on head-first: that's what habitual leaders willing to take risks tend to do, especially if they have a loyal and intelligent staff. But all of these attempts would also chance the appearance of Locke's slick ways that can always create potential for trouble.
Peter Brown:
Peter Brown's life path to this election may be the one that began the most privileged. He attended the private St. John's School and then spent much time receiving three separate university degrees. Afterwards, he spent six years in the Army's active reserve, though, showing that he has thoughts for his community even if he grew up with amenities that others lack. His first degree was a Bachelor's in French Studies followed by a Master's in Romance Languages, but his preparation for city work really began with his last one. He received a Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, and Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. Since, he has worked as an architect and urban planner, doing work in over 20 cities, including many years in Houston. In 2003 he was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the highest designation for the organization. He was actually so good that he has been able to self-finance most of his political career. In two years he would be elected to the city council.
Peter Brown's history tells us a lot about his knowledge of cities - they are high and many. Unfortunately, his career gives little indication to his ability with budgets, his political tact, or any other managerial skill. Apparently his campaign gives us a similarly hazy forecast:
What does this team tell me about how Peter Brown will govern? It's a little tougher assessment than the Parker and Locke campaigns. It's my observation that if Brown will recruit a strong leader and trust them to manage the operations, he will have a well-run City Hall operation. If not, things might be a little chaotic. We will trust that the leader will be able to carry out Peter Brown's vision for Houston. His vision is a solid one and one that is gaining interest from voters. Brown will need to say "this is how I see it" and allow a team to implement the details. It may be a little hard for people who interact with City government to master accessing the Brown administration but we know that it will be well run. There will not be much opportunity for jockeying or schmoozing - it will be a "state your business" type of team and they will follow-through on their commitments. You may rest assured that a Brown administration will have a plan and implement it!
As powerful mayors go, they can be considered the continual designers of their cities. Peter Brown would be a gifted one at Houston's head. But Brown is an architect in training and practice; he is not a builder. If you trust he can get excellent builders, he may be, by far, the best candidate in the field. If you think he will have trouble with that, he may be the decided worst. (Ok, besides from Roy Morales!) |
